HARTFORD — Kevin Ollie remains at UConn, with ties that keep him connected to the people in Connecticut.

"I'm going to be here every year," Ollie told the crowd at Bushnell Park, many of whom were breast cancer survivors like his mother, before the start of the 22nd Susan G. Komen Connecticut Race for the Cure on Saturday morning. Ollie himself was participating in the 5K race and walk.

"I want to see all your smiling faces this year," he concluded, "because it's going to be a good one."

As Ollie, 42, prepares for his fourth season as the Huskies' head coach, two of his peers in college basketball have embarked on the road some have predicted for him — coaching in the NBA. Billy Donovan left Florida to take over the Oklahoma City Thunder, a job for which Ollie was mentioned as a candidate as he reaffirmed his intention to stay in Storrs. And Fred Hoiberg left Iowa State to coach the Chicago Bulls.

"They're going to be wonderful [NBA] coaches," Ollie said as fans approached for pictures under a large tree. "They've come into two great situations, great organizations. I know the Oklahoma City Thunder organization very well and I know the Chicago Bulls organization very well because I played for both of them. They've got great ties, great backing and they're outstanding coaches. They're going to relate to their players on a different level, bring something great, bring some energy."

Ollie, who played 13 years in the NBA before returning to his alma mater as assistant coach in 2010 and replacing Jim Calhoun in 2012, has four years remaining on the five-year, $16 million contract he signed after leading the Huskies to the national championship in 2014 — an NCAA run in which he eliminated both Hoiberg's Cyclones and Donovan's Gators. There were several NBA openings a year ago, but Ollie declined a chance to talk to the Cavaliers and signed a new deal with UConn. Having finished his playing career with the Thunder as a veteran mentor to Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, Ollie was thought to be a prime candidate for that job, but there were never formal talks. Ollie's contract called for a $5 million buyout fee if he had left for an NBA job this spring; that figure decreases as the contract goes on.

Donovan, 50, after spurning NBA chances in the past — taking the Magic job, then changing his mind and returning to Florida —finally took the plunge after 21 seasons at the college level, 19 at Florida, and replaced Scott Brooks.

Hoiberg, 42, who was Ollie's teammate in Chicago, returned to his hometown and alma mater where he was immensely popular — nicknamed "the Mayor" of Ames, Iowa. He built a powerful program in four seasons as head coach, like Ollie weaving in some NBA-style plays, but was eliminated early by UAB in the 2015 NCAA Tournament. When the Bulls were eliminated in the NBA playoffs, they fired Tom Thibodeau and hired Hoiberg, who was once in their front office.

"Newness is good sometimes," Ollie said. "The coaches they replaced are great coaches, too. Scott Brooks and Thibodeau are among the top of the line, and they're going to get jobs real quick. They're not going to be retired very long."

Larry Brown is the only coach to win championships at both levels. Some very successful college coaches, Rick Pitino and John Calipari, for example, did not win big in the NBA, where they took on rebuilding tasks, and ended up going back. Donovan and Hoiberg inherit ready-to-win rosters, however, and Donovan, in particular, a stable, highly regarded front office.

At UConn, Ollie has proved his ability to relate to college-age players and the struggles they face. Since the Oklahoma City threat passed in mid-April, he has been on a recruiting roll, landing highly regarded transfers Shonn Miller, Sterling Gibbs and Terry Larrier and Class of 2016 prospect Mamadou Diarra. After missing the NCAA Tournament last season, hopes are again high.

Coaching professionals, of course, is a different art.

"You've got to relate to your players," Ollie said. "You've got to get them to play for you. I just think that communication is so key — you've got to let them be a part of the process. You can't simply go in there demanding your way is right. You have to let them feel part of the process and get the communication lines and keep those open.

"It's a little bit different [in college] because we have a lot of demands on them, with academics. Going up to the pros, these guys make more money than you and they've got guaranteed contracts, so it's a different ballgame and you've got to really relate to them on a different level. I think Billy's going to do that, Fred's going to do that and they've got the backing of their organization, which is a real key. Everybody has to be aligned."

Before the opening ceremonies at Bushnell Park, Ollie spoke at the Survivors Breakfast. His mother, Dorothy, is back in Texas after beating breast and lung cancer in 2014 as her son was leading the Huskies to the championship.

"Seeing her courage and seeing her fight really gave me inspiration for anything I'm going through in my life," Ollie said. "She's always been an example for me and she continues to be an example. The fight she did to overcome that, even on the days when she was tired and she just kept getting back up, saying, 'I am recovering from this and it's not going to get me down.' It really gave me inspiration through the ups and downs of this year. It really gave me strength. There are going to be brighter days, she taught me that. And she's doing great. She's a survivor. She's running, jogging, doing everything she needs to do to live a great, courageous life."